The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-07-13

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Cox IsIsxn, May -
As date this. the rec,sliecfion occurs to
my mind Of an alleged letter published in a
newspaper when | was boy, from an irish
efnigrant to his mother II was dated Cork.
/ New York. August the same, eighteen hun
ired and February That Sounds ridiculous
! know. but there have been sights and
sounds far more 50 to u since We landed on
the Emerald Isle. which il not ridiculous in
broad sense, are truly korkonian dis
/ tincfion possibly without difference. view
ci iTom eur standpoint. W have enly
been ashore twenty -four hours, too brief a
time you viii say 10 form a correct Judgment
of character and things but the mind of the
American tourist you must know is omniv-
erous with f,,rty-i,ors.-powe digestive APP
paTatus in constant motion. Our opinion Is
always made up from comparisons when
practicable OF course We expect 10 see
things in the old world of which there can
be neither an original or even a duplicate in
America. nothing however. but what has
been described time and again by ADLER pens
than mine shall endeayor at least TO be
truthful, and not let the glamour incident 10
eastern travel. influence or lend coIoring to
my statements.
have been requested by many friends TO
describe my ocean voyage in detail, and per
haps such an undertaking might be reada-
ble. think it better TO eeneralize ON this
subject, merely giving one who has never set
sail on any Of the large ocean steamships
that now traverse the seas, general idea of
companied by my wife and son, ON the Gu
nari steamship Umbria, which sailed
from New York ON Saturday. May I4tIl,
with 500 saloon passengers on board, and on
the following Saturday at ? O'Clock in the
morning we descended from the palatial
e Umbria to a nameless tug that would dis
grace q Canadian harbor, worse yet-say
South African inlet, and through driving
rain cold and cherries, we struck a foreign
shore for the first time just as day fairly
broke There were some sixty of US that Ieft
the Umbrir and stood the pelting of the
storm underneath our umbrellas, eabinless
and fireless in the gray dawn in the inter
vening distance of four miles from the an
chorslge of the Umbria to the landing at
Queenstown. Nearly, if not quite ali were
Americans. infer this from the fact that
ifit had been . Britishers landing in Amer
lea their curses would have been loud and
deep at such lack of accommodation. As
they appeared to be Americans, they stood
and took it without perceptible murmur
Now YOU can believe that or not, just as you
choose | won't vouch for lis veracity.
Well we landed at Queenstown, city of
say l0,oo0 inhabitants. built on the side OF a
high range of hills that slope down into the
bay of Cork. OF course We pushed our way
like lot of cattle over the gang plank. into
the custom house. and went through the form
of having our baggage examined. chanc-
ed to have French dictionary in my valise
which the officer viewed sideways, length
ways and upside down. finally gave it up as
a bad job, and remarked that he would let
it pass this time fellow tourist with two
pbAtS Oi tiS1tIc lpf iiic VNi U1Cr was hVt
50 fortunate having travelled before, he es-
capped confiseation in a way peculiar to the
officer, " ho, of course. like Poohbah. pocket
ed the insult"
Having planted my feet once more on
tern fyna, and thus anticipated the terminus
of the ocean passage in this recital. | viii
now go back and attempt brief resume Of
the voyage We had on the whole, cam
Portable passage For about three days We
sailed on summer seas, then the winds
shifted. bringing fog for brief spell. follow
ed by sea that ran high. and rocked oar
immense craft till it was veritably " cradle
Of the deep" Fortunately for US. we had
fully gotten our sea legs before the rough
wester set in, and | am proud to say, escaped
the diseomforts of sea sickness. The " I'm
bria as a safe, speedy and comfortable boat,
stands in high favor with sea going people.
She is $50 feet long, of proportionate breadth
and depth, of eight thousand tons burden,
and sailing capacity of 70 miles an hour.
Her officers and crew number about 275 men.
About everything thai human ingenuity can
conceive for the comfort and convenience of
travellers seems 10 have been provided in
the equipment of this vessel. The uphol-
stering and general finish of the inside will
compare iavOrably with the Pullman sleep
ing, palace and dining ear. Each state room
has an electric bell and incandecent electric
light You can have meals and liquid re-
freshmets served in your rooms without
additional charge, and children in arms can
eat at first table The steamer chair was a
revelation to me. Each passenger purchases
one before enlbarking. At the end of the
voyage it is stored with the company until
the return trip. These chairs are used ex-
clusively on the upper deck and i'll fine
weather when the sea is smooth as glass, and
the temperature up in the seventies, | know
of no greater luxury ON earth or on water,
for the matter of that. than to recline on one
of these chairs and rocked by the gentle mo-
ton of the boat lulled into half forgenflIl-
ness by the swish. swish, of the waters
through which it cleaves a passage you feel
g Just too good for anything" Bye and bye
the gong sounds for luncheon if you feel
disclined TO stir YOU don't have 10 at your
summons steward will wait ON you. For
the first course you can be served with soup,
second cold fowl sandwiches and pickles.
third oranges, figs and ginger nuts This
i served at u o'clock and at ) P. NJ. dinner.
ofcourse in so large cabin passenger list
numbering over over 500, ii might be expec-
ted that some persons Of notoriety would be
found. 1t appears that we have no excur-
sions aboard whatever.
There were nanny persons of wealth and
refinment, one ofex- President Garfield's sons
a United States senator and the queen of
song, the divine Patti. The crowd that
stood on the wharfat New York to say good
bye to the Umbria numbered over 1000 peo-
pie. twas grand sight 20 look down into
their fearful faces from the deck of our steam
er. and when far oat into the bay. some sad
heart still fingered ON the shore doubtless re-
manned there until the Umbria was but a
speck upon the horizon. They were but few
incidents on board ship worthy of notice
The principal occupation of the majority
was lying on deck swathed in overcoats and
blankets There was only one day when
this privilege was denied us, for with the
deck at an angle of 35 or ~ degrees only the
most vemturesome were ambitious enough to
risk the consequences.
WAS f.,rffsna,,s enn,,erl m sy,r sisybt Of rvo